LAS VEGAS -- USA Technologies Inc. said that Minute Key Inc. has agreed to become a USAT ePort Connect customer. Minute Key is said to be the world's first operator of self-service key duplication kiosks, known as the minuteKEY. USAT said its new customer is committed to a fully connected operation. Using USAT's Quick Connect API, it was able to migrate, in a three-month period, 3,400 minuteKEYs to the ePort platform, which enables cashless transactions, mobile payments like Apple Pay and Android Pay, and the tracking of transactions.

USAT said that the minuteKEY is the next generation of smart machine technology in unattended retail. Introduced in 2008, minuteKEY kiosks can be found in such locations as Lowe's home improvement stores and Walmarts; the Boulder, CO-based company plans to expand to other high-traffic locations like grocery and convenience stores. The kiosks use robotics and an intuitive user interface, and work like this: customers swipe a credit card, place the key in the slot (just like putting it in a door lock) and wait. The machine goes to work, duplicating as many keys as desired, requiring roughly one minute per key.

"As retailers are looking to get the most value from employee spend, processes like key cutting that once took time and attention away from high-value items are increasingly being automated," said Minute Key senior vice-president of IT Scott K. Moore. "By partnering with USA Technologies, we are making sure everyone that makes a key at one of our kiosks is able to pay with their preferred payment method, whether it be cash, card or mobile phone."